The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements, and more specifically to seeding implements such as grain drills or the like which include a grain or fertilizer box and a metering structure for metering material from the box for deposit in the soil.
On many current seeding machines, such as the John Deere Series 8000 Grain Drills, the grain box and grain metering structure form an assembly which is held together by numerous bolts and becomes a major part of the machine main frame. At times it becomes necessary to remove the grain tank components or the metering mechanism for such things as maintenance and repair and for changing row spacings. Because of the numerous components and large number of bolts involved in the assembling and disassembling of the unit, such operations become very time-consuming and difficult. For example, when it becomes necessary to remove a meter insert panel to change row spacings, a series of bolts connected between front and rear flange on the panel and connected to front and rear grain box sheets must be removed. Thereafter the panel is removed from the grain drill and a new panel is inserted. The bolts have to be reconnected between the flanges and the grain box sheets. Rather than changing a panel, the owner may retain a given row spacing even through he feels a different spacing may be more advantageous. Since the grain tank is a main component of the mainframe, removing or replacing the tank becomes very difficult. The metal tanks are also subject to corrosion, particularly when a fertilizer tank is utilized, and replacement of corroded tank components is further hindered by corroded fasteners and the like.